Schiacciata all'Italiana?

Slam dunk Italian style? Andrea Bargnani, a 20-year old Rome native, could be this year's N.B.A. No. 1 Draft Pick. No Italian -- or European -- has ever been named the N.B.A.'s No. 1 Draft Pick, and the N.B.A. has not seen an Italian player since 1996.

Standing a towering 7 feet tall and nicknamed Il Mago -- the magician, Bargnani led his team Benetton Treviso to this year's Italian league title.

Magnani is being considered by the Toronto Raptors, who get the first pick in this year's draft. Yesterday afternoon Magnani said, "It's my dream to go No. 1, but it's also my dream to go 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6."


********UPDATE********

Bargnani chosen as No. 1 Draft Pick by the Toronto Raptors.

Bargnani: "I'm on seventh heaven."

Italy Nosedives

No, I'm not talking about Italy's GDP.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's foreign investment.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's 0% economic growth rate in 2005.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's birth rate, the second lowest in Europe.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's dwindling number of practicing Catholics.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's dwindling number of clean beaches.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's expanding concrete coastline.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's poor treatment of its immigrants.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's youth leaving Italy for elsewhere.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's North pounding the secession drum.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's absence of fair judicial processes.
No, I'm not talking about Italy's credibility as a functioning democracy.

I'm talking about Italy's #3, appropriately named Grosso, that performed a phoney nosedive in the box today to give Italy an undeserved penalty kick, that in turn granted them a 1-0 victory over Australia in the last second of stoppage-time.

After the match, Guus Hiddink, the Dutch-born coach of Australia said, "I said before that Italy had changed, but I was mistaken, it's still the same old team... ...They made a defensive wall the whole game and then it finished how we all saw: with a penalty kick for a foul that wasn't even there.

Vergognatevi! -- Be ashamed of yourselves!

Famous Italian Commie Paper Could Fold

Yesterday morning one of Italy's most popular Communist newspapers, il manifesto, broke the news: it risks closure due to financial difficulties. Il manifesto, founded June 23, 1969 by Lucio Magri and Rossana Rossanda, has been a lifeline for the Italian left. The tabloid format newspaper is known for its provocative headlines, conspiracy theory-ridden leftism, and scathing anti-American coverage. It is also known, although on a lesser scale, for its art, music and film reviews.

On November 3rd, 2004, the paper ran "Good Morning America: with an avalanche of votes the Americans chase Bush away from the White House... ...During the evening exit polls decree the defeat of the man of the preventative war". Later that day the paper retracted its statement saying "...it was a journalistic error, but also a sign of passion and political emotion... ...against the most dangerous and criminal of presidents... ...we excuse ourselves for this 'false' report, and how we alluded to a future without George W. Bush."

Il manifesto was also the paper involved in the now-famous Calipari Affair, in which an Italian Sismi agent was killed. Giuliana Sgrena, a reporter for il manifesto was taken hostage by insurgents, held for an entire month (from Feb. 4th, '05 to Mar. 4th, '05), allegedly a ransom was paid, and Calipari was killed by an errant bullet at a U.S. checkpoint during Sgrena's release. Sgrena was wounded in the shooting mishap, but lived to tell her story.

Il manifesto seems to be convinced, as does much of the Italian media, that Calipari was intentionally killed by the U.S. for collaborating with wanted insurgents, and for paying millions of euros in ransom money in exchange for Sgrena's release. Sgrena called it "an attack on unimbedded journalists."

As of late-yesterday the homepage of il manifesto showed a cartoon drawing of a man holding up the paper's logo. Below the man a placard reads: "Sostieni un bene comune" -- Support a common good.

The paper is currently accepting donations.

The Immigrants Are Wiser

Rome's La Repubblica reported yesterday that "Italy's clandestine workers are more educated than Italy's students."

A recent study by Milan's Bocconi University revealed that between the ages of 25 and 64, 41.1% of clandestini have a high school education, whereas only 33% of Italians in the same age range do.

Mandatory education in Italy runs from age 3 to 14, ending after successful completion of 3 years of media scuola inferiore. Scuola media superiore is the next step, although it not be compulsory, and it runs from roughly ages 14 to 17.

La Repubblica is quick to point out, however, that this is "a sample, not a statistic."

Carlo Devillanova, the researcher who led the study at Bocconi University, notes that immigrazione clandestina is a "brain drain" on the immigrants' countries, and in Italy it immediately becomes a "brain waste", due to the fact that "their competencies are not properly utilized in Italy."

Unfortunately, for the immigrants and for Italy, Devillanova says "the Italian economy seems to be little interested in the immigrants' qualifications."

Italy Chokes

Italy scored on itself Saturday to give the U.S. a 1-1 tie, thus granting the U.S. another chance at escaping first round elimination. To advance to the Group of 16, the U.S. will have to beat Ghana, and Italy will have to beat the Czech Republic. Both matches are to be played on Thursday.

Earlier this week Italian soccer players and media magnates went bonkers over a comment by U.S. player Eddie Johnson, when he said the match would be "war."

The Italian press jumped on the occasion and inserted linguistic bellicosities into their provocative coverage. The words "retreat", "war", "soldiers", "battle", "marines" and "anti-USA" were frequent.

Prior to yesterday's match, Italy's Gilardino, said "we will go onto the field against the United States for our soldiers in Iraq."

In the 28th minute Italy's De Rossi received a red card for intentionally elbowing Brian McBride in the face. McBride left the field bloodied and his injury required 3 stitches. After the match U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller said, "we went out today and gave blood for our country."

The U.S.'s Pablo Mastroeni and Eddie Pope were given red cards later in the game, although for offenses that did not draw blood.

Commenting on the match, Bruce Arena, the U.S. head coach said, "I am not at all happy with the officiating... It seems like the Italians are professional divers. They exaggerated every call. I don't think we've ever played a match with two expulsions."

A Smoggy Belpaese

To many it is affectionately called il belpaese, the beautiful country, but for anyone that has lived there, they know that smog tarnishes its beauty.

The World Health Organization released yesterday a frightening statistic: in Italy every year, an average of 8,220 people die from smog-related deaths. Smog-related deaths account for 9% of the deaths of those over age 30, traffic accidents excluded.

The Beautiful Country's smog is particularly high in Milan, Rome, Bologna, the Padanian plain, and in the industrial triangle between Torino, Genoa and Milan. Pictured above is Torino, blanketed in smog.

Prodi: "We'll Pull Out of Iraq Without Irritating the U.S."

Italian Prime Minister Romani Prodi spoke yesterday saying that Italian troops would leave Iraq without "irritating" their American allies. Prodi, a man who campaigned largely on the fact that he was against the invasion of Iraq, seems to have lost some of his electorate backbone.

"We are working in such a way that everything happens without irritating the Allies, least of all the Americans.

The Italian public was overwhelmingly against the United States-led, March 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent presence of Italian troops.

Prodi and Bush will meet for their first face-to-face since Prodi's re-election (he was Prime Minister from 1996-1998, and head of the European Commission from 1999-2004) during the July 15th-17th G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Italy Gets Lucky

Italy won its first World Cup match yesterday, 2-0 against Ghana.

Pirlo scored in the 41st minute with a classic close-your-eyes-and-kick-it, a goal that nevertheless went attributed to skill and rigorous training. Later in the second half, fortune struck the scandalo-ridden Italian squad again, Ghana's defense folded and Iaquinta ably dribbled around Ghana's goalie, sliding it into the net.

The foreign press overwhelmingly praised the Italian effort and its efficacy in shutting down Ghana's attack. The Spanish press, however, took exception saying, "Italy resolved the game against Ghana in its typical fashion... ...by putting the game to sleep."

With the Italian midfield dropping back and playing a full-on defensive game after Pirlo's goal, the Italians effectively managed to whiddle away the remaining minutes on the time clock.

Italy's coach, Marcello Lippi, prior to the game urged caution, saying, "If we beat Ghana, then the match against the U.S. will be difficult," inferring that his squad needs to stay alert, keep up their guard and maintain concentration.

Italy (1-0-0) plays the U.S. (0-1-0) Saturday, June 17th at 9 p.m., in Kaiserslautern, Germany.

N.d.R. - pictured above, Alena Seredova, Italy's goalkeeper's wife

Un Italiano Morto in Iraq

An Italian carabiniere, Alessandro Pibiri, 25, from Sardegna, was killed this morning approximately 100 km from Nassiriya. A bomb, remotely detonated, jarred an Italian military convoy killing Pibiri, and wounding four other carabinieri, one of them seriously.

The attack comes three days after Prodi's declaration: "Soon, with Great Britain, we will finalize the formalities of our plan to bring home the troops." The Italian Army is working under the British Army in southern Iraq.

During April's election, Prodi's popularity ballooned as he reiterated his anti-war stance. Italy's Defense Minister, Arturo Parisi, said today, however, that "our already strong worry (about the troops) has worsened, but it doesn't change anything in regard to the plans and programs of re-entry that we are currently discussing with the Iraqi government and the Allies.